Luxury hotel proposed in Nyack

Jan. 4, 2013

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Nylo Hotels wants to convert this former industrial site at 400 High Ave. in Nyack, seen on Jan. 3, into a 128-room upscale boutique hotel. The company is in the early stages of the approval process. Khurram Saeed/The Journal News

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NYACK — A Texas-based developer wants to build a $15 million luxury boutique hotel in the village.

Nylo Hotels is seeking Nyack’s approval to convert a vacant manufacturing facility on High Avenue into a four-story upscale hotel with 128 rooms.

The site is home to a 40,000-square-foot blue corrugated metal building. Oak Hill Cemetery and housing is on one side of it, and ramps leading to and from the northbound New York State Thruway (Exit 11) are on the other. A Best Western hotel is a block away on Polhemus Street.

Nylo submitted site plans to the village’s Architectural Review Board on Wednesday. Construction could begin once all the needed approvals are secured.

The 7-year-old company has a hotel in Rhode Island and three in Texas: in Dallas, Irving and Plano. It also plans to open a 298-room hotel at 77th Street and Broadway on the Upper West Side later this year, its first franchised property.

A company spokeswoman declined to comment on the Nyack proposal, but acknowledged the company was “exploring different possibilities.”

Boutique hotels tend to emphasize style and luxury and are generally smaller than hotel chains.

“Nylo Hotels’ contemporary custom furniture and fixtures provide a comfortable, residential feel; and destination bars and restaurants blend an urban ambiance with the local market for a unique experience,” reads one company press release. “Nylo caters to both business and leisure travelers seeking an energized, fun and comfortable lodging option and offers an alternative to the bland, one-size-fits-all experience typically found in many hotels.”

Nyack Mayor Jen Laird-White was thrilled at the prospect of Nylo Nyack, which would be only the second hotel in the river village.

“It’s a wonderful project that can do nothing but good things for the village of Nyack,” Laird-White said. “It seems like a lovely project.”

Company and village officials have had preliminary meetings with land-use boards over the past several months, as is typically the case with big projects.

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Steve Porath, executive director of the Rockland Industrial Development Agency (IDA), also took part in those discussions to talk about tax incentives.

“It sounds like an exciting project, but it’s very early at this point,” Porath said.

The IDA, which is not part of county government, has the power to offer eligible projects an exemption from the state and county sales tax on capital investments such as furniture, equipment and construction material, as well as exemptions on the mortgage recording tax.

It can also help negotiate a property-tax agreement with the local taxing authorities, such as the school district, town and village.

Nylo has not yet submitted an application for any tax breaks, Porath said.

“I would anticipate if they are going to pursue IDA benefits, we’ll get an application in the relatively near future,” Porath said.

According to the site plans, Nylo would keep the building’s footprint but expand up.

The hotel would feature brick siding and glass. Its first floor would include a restaurant, bar, lounge areas, dining and meeting rooms.

There would be a gym on the second floor. The hotel would have nine separate types of guestrooms and a one-level parking structure next to the building.

The application Nylo submitted to the Architectural Review Board is for the external appearance of the building.

Nyack Building Inspector Don Yacopino said the company must also go before the Planning Board for site plan issues and the Zoning Board of Appeals because it requires a special permit since the area is zoned as a manufacturing district.

“It’s the beginning of the process,” said Yacopino, anticipating it would take a minimum of three months.

Nylo has also done its own traffic study, which found that redevelopment would not have a significant impact on traffic in the area. The village will either conduct its own study or analyze Nylo’s findings to determine the traffic impact along the busy corridor, Yacopino said.

Stoffel Seals Corp. was the former tenant at the site, officially located at 400 High Ave. The firm manufactured different types of seals, often made of plastic and metal, but relocated its operations to Congers about five years ago.